Monday, November 08, 2010

I am scheduled to go for genetic testing this week to see if I have issues with mutated genes that go by the lovely monikers of BRCA1 and 2. Let's call them The Dragons.

This fair maiden has been feeling rather lost in the woods. First a hunter stabbed her, and then she had to eat four poisoned apples. Then I -well, SHE- felt the heat of a large fire. It burned and burned, for weeks.

The woods have now been quiet for three months. New signs of life have appeared. Eyelashes have grown back and my nails no longer have ridged rings like tree trunks, one for each poisoned apple.

NOW they tell me that there may be dragons in the woods. I'd heard the legends, of course, but forgot them in the midst of the apples and the fires.

If I have these gene mutations I get to worry not only about more breast cancer but also ovarian cancer... Not just for me but also for my daughter and sister... I don't really understand all of this yet. My oncologist talked to me about making the appointment a week or two ago and I set one up for this week. I haven't watched the informational video yet, but I will need to do that soon.

Some people don't want to be tested. I imagine they know there might be a dragon in the cave, but they'd rather not find out. They will just walk quietly past the entrance to the cave, and hope that nothing lurks therein.

I am not quiet, and if the dragon is there, it's there, and might wander out of the cave at any time to try to take a bite out of me. So I will need to aim my flashlight right into each and every cave and see if a pair of smoke- irritated eyes should happen to glow back at me.

If so, I will call upon my faithful knights to watch over me, and slay the dragon if he dares to try to sprinkle me with salt.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!If it helps, and also to counteract the grumpy lady at the lunchtable, my aunt had fallopian tube cancer two yaars ago. Very, very rare and associated with breast cancer. her mother, my grandmother, dies at 52 of ovarian cancer (waaaay back in 1957. Given that history, my aunt was tested for BRCA1 and 2, partially to let her daughter, nieces, and sister prepare to brace themselves should it be positive. And thankfully, it was negative, even with that history. I don;t"know" but I have a good feeling about you.